US News Roundup: Ohio police chief urges dismissal of officer for fatal shooting of Black man; Boston doctor has severe allergic reaction to Moderna COVID vaccine and more

Politics blunts Christmas as U.S. government shutdown nears, COVID-19 aid uncertain President Donald Trump spent Christmas Day golfing at his West Palm Beach club while millions of Americans faced the risk of losing jobless benefits on Saturday and the threat of a partial government shutdown next week if he refuses to sign a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and spending package.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Ohio police chief urges dismissal of officer for fatal shooting of Black man

The chief of police in Columbus, Ohio, said on Thursday he has concluded that an officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man earlier this week engaged in an act of "senseless violence" that should immediately cost the officer his job. Chief Thomas Quinlan announced his recommendation that the city fire the policeman in a somber videotaped statement that he posted online, two days after Andre Maurice Hill, 47, was gunned down in the garage of a house where he was staying as a guest.

Boston doctor has severe allergic reaction to Moderna COVID vaccine: NYT

A doctor in Boston with a shellfish allergy developed a severe allergic reaction after receiving Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing the doctor. Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated, feeling dizzy and with a racing heart, the NYT reported. U.S. holiday retail sales rise 3.0% - Mastercard report

U.S. retail sales rose 3.0% during this year's expanded holiday shopping season from Oct. 11 to Dec. 24, a report by Mastercard Inc said on Saturday, powered by a pandemic-driven shift toward online shopping. Motor home explodes in Nashville, possible human remains found near site

A motor home parked on a street exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday, moments after a recorded message emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb, in what police called an "intentional act" in the heart of America's country music capital. Three people were injured in the Christmas morning blast, though none critically. Authorities said it was uncertain whether anyone was inside the recreational vehicle when it exploded, but police reported hours later that investigators had found possible human remains nearby. Politics blunts Christmas as U.S. government shutdown nears, COVID-19 aid uncertain

President Donald Trump spent Christmas Day golfing at his West Palm Beach club while millions of Americans faced the risk of losing jobless benefits on Saturday and the threat of a partial government shutdown next week if he refuses to sign a $2.3 trillion coronavirus aid and spending package. Trump stunned members of both parties when he unexpectedly announced this week his dislike of the spending bill, which had taken members of Congress months to negotiate. The bill provides $892 billion in coronavirus relief, and $1.4 trillion in regular government appropriations. Millions of Americans lose jobless benefits as Trump refuses to sign aid bill

Millions of Americans saw their jobless benefits expire on Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump refused to sign into law a $2.3 trillion pandemic aid and spending package, protesting that it did not do enough to help everyday people. Trump stunned Republicans and Democrats alike when he said this week he was unhappy with the massive bill, which provides $892 billion in badly needed coronavirus relief, including extending special unemployment benefits expiring on Dec. 26, and $1.4 trillion for normal government spending. Explainer: Can anything stop Trump from pardoning his family or even himself?

President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former adviser Roger Stone, sweeping away the most important convictions from U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. So far, Trump, who has 27 days left in the White House until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, has issued 70 pardons since taking office. U.S. judge again delays execution of lone woman on federal death row

A U.S. federal judge said that the Justice Department broke the law when it rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row last month, potentially pushing her execution into Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's new administration. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Thursday vacated an order from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is part of the Justice Department, that had rescheduled convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery's execution to Jan. 12. Nearly 2.1 million have voted early in U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia

Nearly 2.1 million people have cast ballots in a U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that will determine whether Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden's agenda, according to state data published Thursday. More than a quarter of the state's registered voters have either cast ballots early or through the mail, the state's figures show, a sign that turnout in the pair of Senate races will be high. About 4 million Georgians voted early in the November election, in which Democrat Biden defeated President Donald Trump.